Learn Hardcore French: Je compose un petit bouquet pour remercier le marchand. - I put together a small bouquet to thank the merchant.

composer un bouquet literally means “to arrange a bouquet” (selecting and placing individual stems). faire un bouquet (“to make a bouquet”) is understandable but less idiomatic; native speakers typically composent un bouquet when they talk about arranging flowers.

What does composer un bouquet precisely imply?

It implies crafting something with care: choosing each bloom, cutting stems to the right length, positioning flowers and foliage for a pleasing result. It’s the standard verb for “arranging” flowers, much like a musician composes music.

Why is petit placed before bouquet, and what would change if it came after?

petit is one of the common BAGS adjectives (Beauty, Age, Goodness, Size) that generally appear before the noun. Placing it after (un bouquet petit) is grammatically possible but sounds odd or poetic; it might emphasize the smallness in a very lyrical or colloquial way.

Why use pour remercier rather than afin de remercier or pour que je remercie?

pour + infinitive expresses purpose when the subject of both verbs is the same (“I compose… in order to thank…”).
afin de remercier is more formal/literary but means the same.
pour que requires a different subject or a conjugated verb and demands the subjunctive (pour que je remercie). Here the subject stays je, so pour remercier is simpler.

Do we need any preposition with remercier, like remercier à or remercier de?

No. remercier is a transitive verb: you directly remerciez quelqu’un. If you want to mention what you thank them for, you use de: Je le remercie de son aide. But to express purpose you use pour + infinitive, not de.

Why is it le marchand and not un marchand?

le marchand refers to a known or specific merchant (shopkeeper) you have in mind. If you were talking about “a (any) merchant” in general, you’d say un marchand.

Is it necessary to add de fleurs (as in un petit bouquet de fleurs)?

You can, but it’s often redundant: bouquet already implies flowers. Adding de fleurs clarifies only if there might be confusion (e.g. a bouquet of leaves).

How do you pronounce Je compose un petit bouquet pour remercier le marchand? Any liaisons to watch for?

Phonetic approx.: [ʒə kɔ̃.pɔz œ̃ pə.ti bu.kɛ puʁ ʁə.mɛʁ.sje lə maʁ.ʃɑ̃]

The final s in compose is voiced [z].
Liaison between petit and bouquet (t-b) is possible but optional in everyday speech: you may hear [pə.ti bu.kɛ].
Make sure to nasalize un [œ̃] and marchand [ɑ̃].